Eucryphia ISSN 1037 – 2032 Number 115 – October 2011

Robertson Environment Protection Society – to promote the protection and enhancement of the Robertson Environment PO Box 3045, Robertson NSW 2577 www.reps.org.au

OCTOBER REPS Walk

REPS Wildflower Walk at Barren Grounds on Saturday 8th October Meet at the picnic parking area at 10.00am.

Instead of a Friday night talk in October we take the opportunity each year to go out on an easy walk. The wildflowers are always wonderful at this time of year with Boronia, heath and many others which can be seen along the Barren Grounds tracks. We will have a plant list for reference but bring a plant book, if you like, for further checking. There will be time for photography and bird watching so a camera and binoculars could also be Dampiera stricta David Tranter a good idea. Wear a hat, sensible shoes and clothes that allow for changeable weather; bring your lunch and a NOVEMBER REPS AGM and Talk drink in a backpack to have out on the track if the day is fine. “The Southern Highlands Barren Grounds Nature Reserve is 14km along the Sustainability Hub” Jamberoo Mountain Road from the Pie Shop and An exciting new Wingecarribee the picnic parking area is about 1km in from the initiative entrance. Guest speaker is Tim Edwards, project coordinator All Welcome. Further information, phone for the Wingecarribee Sustainability Hub th Helen Tranter 4885 1394. AGM Friday 11 November, 7. 30pm

All welcome, open discussion, light refreshments, gold coin donation

Upcoming Events th Sat 8 October – REPS walk “Wildflower walk at Barren Grounds” 10.00am , Barren Grounds picnic area th Sun 9 October – CTC Cinema “Genius Within – Glenn Gould” 2pm at CTC@Robertson, see page 8 th Fri 11 November – REPS AGM and Talk “The Southern Highlands Sustainabilty Hub” see above th Tue 15 November – NPA Talk “The Land of the Thunder Dragon”’ by Tony Hill, 7.30pm, CWA Hall MossVale, see page 7 th Sat 29 October & 26thNovember – Caalang Creek Working Bee from 9.30 onwards, see page 8 NPA Walks – see page 5

President’s Report You may recently have heard on news radio that Allan Stiles geneticists have ascertained that Australian Our August meeting proved to be one of great Aborigine settlement of Australia goes back to the interest and the very large attendance was earliest of migrations of Homo sapiens out of gratifying. John Bradshaw’s account of his Africa. That Aborigines have been custodians of experiences in the Kimberley solicited many this land for a long long time was also brought questions and sales of his book quickly exhausted home to members of REPS when John Bradshaw supply. The October bushwalk and the November gave us a wonderfully illustrated recount of his meeting’s speaker will doubtless be worthwhile expedition, along with Adrian Parker and Chris too. Done, to see what are considered the country’s On Saturday, 3rd September a display was most ancient Aboriginal artworks, the so-called mounted at as part of the Wingecarribee ‘Bradshaw Figures’. These are in caves of the Shire Council’s Threatened Species Day event. remote Prince Regent’s River of the Kimberleys, Thanks to Peter Glass and Leon Hall who helped to and were so called because they had been “fly the flag” by discussing REPS and its activities discovered by John’s great uncle Joseph Bradshaw. with enquirers. After Joseph’s small syndicate had purchased a At the Robertson Nature Reserve on the following large holding in the area on spec from the Saturday, several people attended to learn about the Government, he had led an expedition in 1891 to beautiful and fascinating plants that can so easily inspect their ‘prize’. The country turned out to be be enjoyed there. Thanks to Helen Tranter and rugged, forbidding to agriculture and, long before Leon Hall for sharing their knowledge then. GPS navigation, difficult to either map or The committee has worked well this year but there determine boundaries. The legacy of that is need for increased membership. Please contact expedition and brief occupation was that Joseph me on 0415 309 760 if you are available. who, like his great nephew John was an educated man, left a good account of things he saw, Secretary’s Report including comprehensive descriptions of that most Georgina Persse ancient rock art that he had found. Testament to its REPS COMMITTEE MEETING - 9th September age was the fact that present-day Aborigines, who Present: Allan Stiles (Chair), Peter Glass, David regularly must re-touch their rock art, lay no claim Mee, Georgina Persse, David Tranter, Helen to the ‘Bradshaw Figures’ which have survived un- Tranter. Apologies: Leon Hall, Chris Stevenson, retouched due to the remarkable environment and Anne Wilson. the peculiar chemical consolidation in the rock The November meeting details for the AGM and surface. How old? 20,000 years perhaps. speaker were finalised, also those for the October Well, as noted, navigational pinpointing was nigh Barren Grounds Walk. REPS presence at the impossible in 1891, and Joseph’s descriptions of Waratah Spring Fair was confirmed, and ideas put locations were not as good as the descriptions of forward for DVDs to show at the December the actual works – they became lost for a century. meeting. Helen Tranter reported that, with the full It is significant that it was great nephew John and house and donations given, the August meeting his two determined colleagues who found them was also a financial success. Leon Hall sent notice again in October 2003 after an arduous search in of continuing mulching and spraying at Caalang the rugged terrain, stifling weather and biting bugs. Creek with perhaps some planting in late What has resulted has been documentation of September. newly discovered plant and animal species unique Allan Stiles reported work being done to to the area and wonderful photos of the rock art. strengthen membership numbers. Many of the photos can be found in their highly commendable book A KIMBERLEY August REPS Talk Review ADVENTURE – REDISCOVERING THE by Bob McInnes BRADSHAW FIGURES (Adrian Parker, John

Review of “Rock Art in the Kimberleys”, Bradshaw and Chris Done, published by Gecko presented by John Bradshaw to the Robertson Books) which gives a very readable account of the Environment Protection Society on Friday 12 th expedition and its background, and beautiful large August 2011. (A4) photo reproductions.

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What Price Risk? above. As greenhouse warming eased, the ocean by David Tranter cooled, allowing CO 2 gas to cross the air-sea interface and dissolve. Some became buried in the A carbon price or levy is a kind of premium to earth as coal and petroleum; some transformed into cover the risk of severe environmental impacts wood by old growth forests. from fossil fuel emissions and to encourage a swift From time to time, this fine-tuned climate transition to renewable energy. equilibrium has been upset by orbital forces that The earth is now in the warm phase of a natural move the earth closer to the sun or farther away. climate cycle which recurs every 100,000 years - As the warming earth emerged from the latest ice but there’s something odd about the current trend. age, so much dissolved CO 2 returned to the air that The concentration of the main greenhouse gas Torres Strait and Bass Strait became inundated by (CO 2) in the air (approx. 400 parts per million) is rising seas. The bulk of the world’s people that now the highest it has ever been in the past now live beside the sea are now faced with man- 800,000 years and rising fast in synch with fossil made inundation. fuel emissions. During previous warming cycles, What’s to be done about this nasty trend? An the ocean returned dissolved CO to the air above 2 economic system that allows CO 2 emitting like bubbles from a newly opened bottle of soda industries to ignore the environmental costs of their water. operations and let society foot the bill is This time, the ocean is getting more acid, intolerable. That malpractice is unreasonable, indicating that both air and ocean have exceeded inequitable and inconsistent with best-practice their capacity to absorb man-made CO 2. As a free-market principles; it’s a hidden subsidy. result, the best climatologists in the world are more Industry should meet its own production costs in than 90% certain that the natural warming trend is full and on time. The polluter pays! The proposed being reinforced by fossil fuel emissions - that we carbon premium addresses that inequity by are faced with a double whammy which is causing persuading polluters to change their careless ways, arctic sea ice to recede, tundra permafrost to melt, fund households for consequent rising costs and climate patterns to destabilize, sea level to rise and, develop renewable energy alternatives. ultimately, millions of climate refugees to appear And if, as a result, exports can’t compete with on our shores. imports, then perhaps it would be wiser to level the So what’s to be done about this unprecedented playing field by means of a “Border Tax” that problem? History provides a lead. Earth’s would encourage exporters and importers alike to primaeval, lifeless air was supercharged with be equally clean rather than equally dirty? volcanic CO and practically devoid of oxygen. 2 To make a donation to the Nature Conservation Now it’s got loads of oxygen and little CO 2. How Council of NSW in aid of their campaign to did that remarkable transformation come about? demonstrate community support for action on

The magic molecule chlorophyll did the trick. climate change: By cheque to P O Box 137,

Harnessing sunlight energy, chlorophyll-bearing Newtown. 2042; by phone at (02) 9516-1488; or organisms removed CO 2 from the air and hydrogen www.nccnsw.org.au/support/cleaner-future from water to make carbohydrates, releasing oxygen as a by-product. Step by step over the ages, blue-green algae and their plant successors decarbonized and oxygenated the primaeval air, producing a thin blue veil around the earth that was “just right” for many kinds of life. Too much CO 2 and earth would overheat, too little and it would freeze; too much oxygen and organic matter would spontaneously combust; too little, and air-breathers would suffocate- a “Goldilocks” atmosphere heralding a golden age for mankind.

Where did all that primaeval CO 2 go? - mostly to the underlying ocean which occupies 70% of the earth’s surface and is in direct contact with the air

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A Spectalcular Local Orchid by Allan Stiles

Many people are familiar with Dendrobium speciosum , the common Sydney Rock Orchid (also inappropriately called the Rock Lily) that blooms so magnificently in Spring. A huge number of species was once included in the genus Dendrobium but recently some taxonomists, employing modern techniques such as DNA analysis, have subdivided this genus and the Rock Orchid is now named Thelychiton speciosus . It can easily be identified because it grows almost always Thelychiton epiphyticus at Foxground (Bob McInnes) on rocks and has canes that are widest at the base and taper to the top. It is found from Bulahdelah to just over the Victorian border. Another widely grown orchid, Thelychiton tarberi (once known as Dendrobium speciosum variety hillii ) has longer canes of almost uniform width and grows from the Hawkesbury to South Queensland. Imagine my surprise when I saw similar plants on Churnwood trees ( Citronella moorei ) at Foxground in 2003. A call to David Jones (an authoritative orchid botanist) informed me that my description agreed with plants of an undescribed other species he knew of from Cambewarra. In his book A Thelychiton epiphyticus full spray of flowers (Denis Wilson) Complete Guide to Native Orchids of Australia (2006) this plant is included as Thelychiton epiphyticus and is reported to be found at Robertson and Cambewarra. Doubtless Robertson (rather than Foxground) was mentioned because David knew where I lived. Will it be found nearer to Robertson, certainly not on the plateau but in rainforests in the valleys below Carrington or Belmore Falls? I have certainly seen it on a Churnwood below the Minnamurra Falls. The naming of this new species leads one to wonder how many more novelties are yet to be identified in our region.

Thelychiton epiphyticus single flower (Denis Wilson)

Thelychiton speciosus on rocks in the upper Kangaroo Valley (Allan Stiles) Thelychiton epiphyticus in situ, Cambewarra (Denis Wilson)

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Robertson Wind Turbine Workshop Sat-26-November to Sun-27-November by David Tranter Bungonia SCA On rainy Sunday September 25 th , about 60 people Grade: 4; Distance: 12 km;asc/desc 400m. from the Southern Highlands and surrounding Description: Beebox Spur - Shoalhaven River - districts attended a well facilitated workshop on Trestle's Track. A circuit walk with steep descent many aspects of wind power generation by small, and steep climb. In between there's river walking medium and large wind turbines. The event was with time for swimming, exploring, relaxing. organised by Daniel Murphy of the NSW Office of Leader: Greg Layman Environment and Heritage. It was jointly Limit: 8 facilitated by Craig Emery of the Alternative Map: Caoura 1: 25 000 Energy Association, a Melbourne-based not-for- Branch: Sydney [email protected] profit organisation, and Armidale’s Nicky Isson. Sun-27-November Minnie Ha Ha Falls, About 20 of the participants were particularly Kangaroo Valley interested in the Hepburn Wind model, a Grade: Easy; Distance: 2.5 km; community-owned wind co-operative in Description: Drive to Kangaroo Valley, cross Daylesford, Victoria which is now supplying most Hampden Bridge, turn right up Kangaroo River of the district’s household energy needs. Road for 14.3km (some gravel). Follow footpads & creek to Minnie Ha Ha Falls. G & J Souter's 'Best Bush, Coast and Village Walks of the Shoalhaven.' Leader: Ron Doughton Map: Kangaroo Valley 1:25000 Branch: Milton [email protected]

http://sustainabilityawards.vic.gov.au/2011-winner-community Sun-4-December Macquarie Pass, Morton NP

Ed: See page 8 for details of follow up workshop. Grade: Medium/hard; Distance: 11 km; Description: Circuit walk from RHS at base of NPA Walks Macquarie Pass via waterfall, stream, 4wd track, For more walks and other activities go to across main road, Clover Hill Rd to falls on http://www.npansw.org.au and click on the Macquarie Rivulet. Then rock-hopping through activities tab. magnificent rainforest with crystal clear pools to Sat-15-October - Lake join track for return. Yarrunga Leader: Herbert Fry & Leslie Reddacliff Grade: 3/4; Distance: 14 km;asc/desc 350m. Limit: 12 - Contact leaders essential Description: Commencing at Meryla Pass we Map: Robertson 1:25000 follow Griffin’s Fire Trail for a couple of kms and Branch: Milton [email protected] branch off onto a disused 4WD track which winds Sun-4-December Macquarie Pass - Easy Option down to Lake Yarrunga. Beautiful views and Grade: Easy; Distance: 9 km; lovely bush are encountered until arriving at Lake Description: Walk on track to waterfall at base of Yarrunga which was formed by Tallowa Dam. pass, then drive up & walk to Rainbow Falls via Return is on the same track. Clover Hill Road. Some great rainforest! Leader: Joan Lowe 4861 2996 Leader: Ron Doughton 4454 1358 Limit: 12 Map: Robertson 1:25000 Map: Bundanoon 8928 -l-S Branch: Milton [email protected] Branch: Sthn Highlands [email protected] Sat-10-December Escarpment Sat-12-November Illawarra Coast Grade: 3; Distance: 10 km;asc/desc 300m. Grade: 3; Distance: 50 km;asc/desc 150m. Description: Walk from Mt. Kembla Lookout Description: Bike ride from Berkeley to Bass around Ring Track and then the Summit. Variety Point via Blackbutt Forest, Shellharbour. Return of forest and rainforest, wide coastal views. via direct route. Some moderate hills. Water, Leader: Jennifer and Col Meharg helmets required. Swimming. Branch: Illawarra [email protected] Leader: Jennifer and Col Meharg Branch: Illawarra [email protected]

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Poetry Corner Edited by Jonathan Persse

Gardens again (see issue no.97, August 2008) If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. (Cicero, 106-43 B.C.)

ANDREW MARVELL (1621 – 1678) It is the old kingdom of man. Answering to their names, , stanza 5 The Garden Out of the soil the buds come, What wondrous life in this I lead! The silent detonations Ripe apples drop about my head; Of power wielded without sin. The luscious clusters of the vine Upon my mouth do crush their wine; DAVID CAMPBELL (1915 – 1979) The nectarine and curious peach To My Mother , stanza 2 Into my hands themselves do reach; Seedlings sprang from her fingers, cuttings Stumbling on melons as I pass, Pressed in, put down taproots, Ensnared with flowers, I fall on grass. A bed of dead gloves In a week was rioting. RUTH PITTER (1897 – 1992) Roses, tiger-lilies bowed to the lady PotPot----bound,bound, stanza 1 With the green hands and loam O I am root-bound! In this earthen Pot Under her fingernails, Reserving their hour for her How many a strangling noose and writhing knot Of scents and waterlights, Describe contorted misery! a tomb Intimacies. She'd little time Where one woe for another leaves not room! For humans after childhood. But children came A charnel-house of starved desires, whence all To eat her brandysnaps and hear Is gone of Humus and good Mineral, The lady call the thrush up. Or anything on which a Plant might feed Pearl grey from mountain creeks Till it could blossom and produce a seed; The thrush came to her garden stump Where wretched Worms, to their own hurt, have got And sang. In by mischance, and poison all the pot: Where the poor roots, for want of object fit, CAROL RUMENS (born 1944) Embrace the Drainage-crock, make much of it, Weeds And glide, and feel, and search all ways in vain, In gardens, it's the unwanted Sick for the Food and Space they can't attain, babies that grow best and biggest, And to the pining Branches only send swarming our beds of frail A negative, a warning of the End; legitimate darlings with roots For if a growing Plant's not potted-on, like wire and crude, bright flower-heads. Betimes, and given new soil, its hope is gone. They seem oblivious to the fury of steel prongs earthquaking around them. R. S. THOMAS (1913 - 2000) If they fall today, tomorrow they'll stand all the greener. The Garden Too soon, the beautiful lives It is a gesture against the wild, we've trembled over with sprays The ungovernable sea of grass; of pesticide, friendly stakes, A place to remember love in, and watering-cans at sunset, To be lonely for a while; give in, leaving us helpless. To forget the voices of children The weeds, the unfavoured ones, Calling from a locked room; To substitute for the care stare at us hungrily, Of one querulous human and since it is hard to live Hundreds of dumb needs. empty of love, we try to smile; we learn to forgive them.

Please send a poem on the environment, written by yourself or another person, to Jonathan Persse, Sallyhill, Burrawang 2577

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Letter to the Editor NPA Talk

Dear REPS members, The Land of the Thunder Dragon The Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Management Authority (HNCMA) has commenced consultation Guest Speaker: Tony Hill, NPA Branch President. with the community through three new community 15 November 2011 at 7.30pm at the Moss Vale reference groups that align with the distinctly CWA Hall (between Council Chambers and Fire different landscapes of the catchment, namely the Station) Warragamba, Blue Mountains and Western and the Bhutan is a mountainous kingdom in the Himalayas Hawkesbury Lower Nepean. The inaugural meeting sandwiched between the emerging economic and of the Warragamba Landscape Community political giants of India and China. It was not Reference Group (CRG) was held in Goulburn on accessible to most foreigners until 1960 and has Wednesday 14 September 2011. The CRG is a mix since slowly accepted visitors under very controlled of people from Landcare, farming, aboriginal, conditions. It is a world biodiversity hotspot and is community and environmental interests and the last refuge of many Himalayan species of plants backgrounds, representing the diverse networks in and animals. the landscape, which extends from south of Tarago, west to the border with the Upper Lachlan Tony and Karmen Hill took a tour, along with a catchment and north to the . In the group of National Parks and Wildlife Service east, it includes the special areas managed by the officers and supporters, in April of this year which Sydney Catchment Authority and the majority of had an emphasis on the natural features of the both the Wingecarribee and Wollondilly local country. government areas fall within the landscape. Visit the Tony will present an illustrated commentary on the web site at www.hn.cma.nsw.gov.au for more geography, history, politics and religion of this information and maps. The role of the CRG is to link fascinating country. government with community and more specifically The meeting will be followed by a light supper. to provide input to the review and development of Free Admission although a gold coin donation the catchment action plan (CAP) that will guide would be appreciated! investment over the next 5-10 years. Ed: Thanks to John Dorman, who also writes - As your representative, I would love to hear from “Please let your friends know. You don't need to be you, to listen to your vision for the Warragamba a member, though we'd love to have you join.” landscape, and to understand your priorities for action in the area. As a first step, the HNCMA is collecting and mapping using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), your favourite natural place. You can fill out a “What’s your favourite place?” form and some will be available at the next REPS meeting, or alternatively, you should soon be able to put your favourite place directly on the map via the website. My preferred communication method is email, and so you can write to me at [email protected], or you Source: http://18degreesnorthtours.com may contact my mobile on 0437260373. Feedback is welcome at any time and I will keep you posted on the timing of the next meeting.

Regards Karen Guymer Karen Guymer (BScAgr, PhD, CPSS) Environmental Consultant Member: AIAST, ASSSI, OFA, NPA (NSW)

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Committee News Help Required Events Reminders

Caalang Creek Working Bees CTC@Robertson 2pm Sunday Cinema Caalang Creek Working Bees are usually held on the Series -- Genius Within: The Inner Life of last Saturday of each month from 9:30am onwards Glenn Gould subject to the weather. Please come and join us for as Sunday 9th October 2011 at 2pm New release. long as you are able. Please note there is no working “The most comprehensive and touching film bee in December or January. portrait of the great Canadian pianist in all his glories and miseries” (David Denby, the New The next Working Bees will be on the 29th Yorker). Rated G. Genius Within will be October and the 26th November Meet at the footbridge in Hampden Park. Don’t introduced by composer and broadcaster Andrew forget water, hat and gloves. We now have tools Ford. available, but bring your own if you can. Café opens at 1.30pm tea and coffee available. Leon reports the August working bee went well, Adults $10 children $5 (CTC fundraiser). most of the mulch was moved and Jen (from Bookings recommended. Tel. 4885 2665 or [email protected] Council who is helping with our work on Caalang Creek) did some spraying. Unfortunately the Clean Energy Wingecarribee September working bee was washed out due to the On Sunday November 20 th . Afternoon Workshop: rain. We would really like some more volunteers th "A Clean Energy Future for Wingecarribee". To for the planting day on October 29 , 9.30 onwards. be held at Kazcare, , Cnr Centennial Drive Queries to Steve Douglas 4271 4957 or & Kirkham Street. This will be an interactive Leon Hall 4888 2222. event with invited speakers, breakout groups and a brilliant facilitator. Bring your friends and ideas. Contact David Tranter on 4885-1394 for more Help Care for Our Nature Reserve details.

st 1 Wednesday of each month Contact REPS 9:00am to noon All those who are interested in supporting our aim All welcome . Please bring garden gloves. are welcome to join REPS. Our aim is to promote For further information, phone Ford Kristo (NPWS) during business hours: 4887 8244 the preservation and enhancement of the Robertson environment. We welcome contact with individuals and other community groups. For further information and subscriptions please Robertson Waratah Spring Fair contact: The Secretary – Georgina Persse Sunday 9th October 9am to 4pm. PO Box 3045, REPS will have an information display in the big Robertson NSW 2577 marquee so come along, maybe you could give a or President – Allan Stiles on 0415 309 760 hand, or just to say hello, especially if you are one We are always looking for new contributions to of those members who find it difficult to get to Eucryphia. If you have an essay, article, poem or evening meetings. The waratah bushes will be in photograph that you would like to share with other full bloom, there will be waratah flowers and REPS members please contact the editors, Monica native plants for sale; an exhibition of flower Engel or Sheila McInnes. paintings as well as floral arrangements featuring email: [email protected] waratahs in the Fettlers Shed Gallery. All contributions will be most welcome.

Welcome New REPS Members Visit the REPS website George Couri www.reps.org.au

8 Printed at Robertson CTC on recycled paper